Effects of Biden Adminsteration On Canada Immigration

Trump administration in the 4 years of running office has spewed out anti-immigration policies and not everyone has been a fan of his rhetoric, especially immigrants. Now since Biden has won the elections, he has vowed to reverse those policies for the better. Canada and the US have shared a strong relationship over the years, despite some tensions during Trump’s reign. With now the focus on favouring immigration in the States, the question does come to mind as to how that will affect Canada as a result. During the Trump administration, Canada has greatly benefitted from the draconian immigration policies made by the Republican Party. Part of that was the suspension of the H-1B visa back in June.

On the other side, international students and skilled workers have made Canada part of their top destinations to settle in. This is partly due to the surplus of diverse immigration programs by the Canadian government to attract people from various backgrounds to contribute towards the economy and also easily get permanent residency through streamlined processes. Pathways through Express Entry and Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP) have been able to attract specific candidates to fulfill province needs.

Under Biden, immigration policies like welcoming immigrants and insistence of commitment to asylum-seekers and refugees; quashing “Muslim ban;” modernizing immigration, et cetera are part of the priorities. But it's yet to be seen how that plays out. There are many factors that can still give Canada an edge over the States in context to immigration.

• US has a population of an estimated 330 million. Canada on the other hand has roughly 38 million people.
• US has welcomed around 1.1 million immigrants in recent years. Skilled workers are 10% of the welcomed people, with 70% belonging to family class, and 14% are refugees. So its per capita intake of skilled workers as part of its labour force is 0.07%.
• Looking at Canada, it has a labour force of 20 million. Starting in 2021, the new immigration levels plan intends to welcome 60% as skilled workers, 35% under family class, and 15% as refugees.
• Canada’s labour force is eight times smaller compared to the US, but it welcomes double the number of skilled workers.

As expressed before, under the Biden administration, the changes taking place for US immigration is yet to be seen. Green card spots could be limited and people looking to immigrate to other countries could look towards Canada. For international students, the transition from study to permanent residency has become more convenient in Canada and like the study permit program, other immigration programs are also making it suitable for people with different backgrounds. It would be unlikely the US is drastically going to revise immigration policies soon and for now, Canada gives certainty and that is the country’s advantage.